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Princeton scientists win NSF Advance Awards

Posted August 16, 2004; 11:09 a.m.

by sschultz

The
National Science Foundation
has awarded Advance Fellows Awards to Princeton scientists Elena Pierpaoli and Alison Williams. The awards are competitive grants designed to promote innovative science and to increase the participation of women in science and engineering.

Pierpaoli, a research staff member in physics, received a grant of $527,000 over three years to develop theoretical methods for analyzing upcoming surveys of clusters of galaxies. Galaxy clusters are the most massive objects bound together by gravity in the universe. The study of galaxy clusters is important for understanding the overall structure of the universe.

Williams, a lecturer in chemistry, received $465,292 to study the interactions between nucleic acids, which are the building blocks of DNA and RNA, and other ions. These interactions are important for a wide range of fields, from understanding the basic physical properties of nucleic acids to designing biotechnology and nanotechnology drugs and devices.